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With a flash a wink of light on the blade from a streetlamp the creatures before her screeched and died, the blade sending it's essence to her benefactor. the creature that had given her new life, new knowledge, new power.

But....

She sighed softly looking down she lifted her free hand and stared at it. Victor was revolted by her now.... He refused to release that creature Santana

"Perhaps I was fooling myself, thinking that I could have something like that." she murmured with a hollow smile. she shifted turning away, with a murmured spell the Blade was sealed Back in it's space waiting to be summoned again for it's grand purpose.

She felt so lonely now. Knowledge was one thing but what did it mean if she had no one to share it and her power with? Was it to much to want the power to protect, and companionship?.... With the abilities Shuma had granted her she had been able to do so much more, make a real difference in her work, banishing demons and evil spirits to him while allowing those spirits that where just lost to follow the light and move on.

But, she'd become something that wasn't human, she moved and sat on the stoop of an old building, it was late and no one wandered the area. namely because it had built a reputation because of the demon she'd just destroyed.

"What am I doing?" she said head dropping her fingers lacing over the back of her neck, wild black ringlet falling obcuring her face.

~"Karras. My Agent of Chaos, banisher of demons and soul gatherer for Shuma-Gorath... what ails you in this time? I can not help but sense a wrongness that seeks to linger in the soul of my great creation."~ Shuma-Gorath's booming voice resonated, and proceeded his manifestation. Moments later a rift in the fabric of space tore open like ripped sheets, and he emerged in full form, tentacles vermiculating around him, surrounding his Agent, whilst the eye faced her forward. ~"I'm sure you aren't plagued with the qualms of humanity my dear. Those things are beneath you. You are Karras, more powerful than the creatures of this wretched planet, a ruler of the stars and beyond. You are second only to myself in power, and yet you wallow." The eye fixated upon her. ~"What. Is. It."~

Layla looked up sharply and stood quickly hearing the voice of her Master echoing around her, inside her head, her bones with power. She bowed deeply "My Lord I apologize for drawing you out with out due cause, You have granted me new life and power, but my heart and mind are still human, the wish I had as a woman is still deep inside me, and now, knowing I am so different, and knowing what I know with the knowledge you bestowed upon me. My humanity, my soul feels very lonely. The one You saw me so worried about before, Has no need of me now I can't bear him a human child. I allowed myself to fall into a weak idea that he might grow to love me." she admitted softly as she stood,

"Forgive my impudence, such meager worries are my own, I did not mean to disturb you with them my lord." she said formally though her eyes cast down, despite her apology, she couldn't shake it off, the feeling of despair and loss Not as much the loss of Victor, but, a child. Her own child to love and treasure someone who would accept her love.

The dark deity listened and considered his agent's words carefully. What she spoke was an unfortunate truth. Retaining her human soul and mind meant that she had the potential to be affected by the emotions that came with them. The pain she felt now was very human but hardly inexcusable. Unlike some others Shuma-Gorath was not a god that treated his elite unjustly, in fact, he went to great lengths to accommodate them, as reward for their servitude. He wouldn't be worth the worship otherwise.

The large eye dilated and at once Karras would feel her presence in her mind, seeking this human male that caused these feelings of isolation, whilst deciding whether or not to torment him eternally or provide some other means for his agent to attain the happiness she so desired. He'd search her mind without discretion every last moment spent with this man, every detail of their relationship, every feeling she had towards him. Once he understood fully, he'd then make his decision regarding her dreary plight.

Layla gasped looking up, she could feel him a strange sensation wet fingers stroking her mind, it was difficult to really explaine the sensation. "My Lord please." she said quickly looking down embaressed to have those presiouce moment laid bare before him

"It's not his fault... He is only human, his past experiences have given him a natural aversion to these kinds of situations... Please Lord Shuma do not punish him for his simpleness." she said imploringly before leaning back

"The way he is is simply proof of something I have known but hidden from for a very long time. I'm not destined to be loved." she said softly there was resignation in her voice and an echo of old words in her thoughts

"You have no line of love cross your palm Child, You will die alone." the creaky voice of an old gypsy crone scratching at her memories joined with flickers of failed attempts at relationships, people turned off by her work, her familys life style, the way she looked. A beutiful woman, bountiful enough to want to sleep with, but not good enough to want to keep.

Layla with her pride would never have a one night stand just to be cast away as some cheap thrill.

Shuma-Gorath listened to the emotion wrought, pained requests of his elite agent and made a scoff that reverberated as far as Saturn's furthest moon, and bristled all the same. For such a menial impedance like the love of a human male to contrive her so. He had mind to scold her but that would have been counterproductive to his goals. He wanted her to feel complete in all faculties.

He decreased in size, coming up to her 5 and some odd change. A tentacle slid round her shoulder as he began to "walk" with her. A walk that was actually a slow saunter that hardly required actual steps of him. He was more pulling effortlessly across the earth, his lower appendages sliding forward and back accordingly. His voice was oddly soothing. "My sweet Karras... this void of emotion you are feeling is attributed to the selfish heart of man. Humans for generations have evolved beyond the plentiful species on this planet, becoming the dominant beings, being naturally selected on every level, maturing into mutants, and metahumans even. " As they emerged from the alley's shroud and stepped into the city's night lights his shape conformed accordingly. No longer was he a creature with a massive bulbous eye and amphibious appendages, now he was a portly black man, with a wide bald head and round sunglasses. Now he took foot steps, and they were accompanied by the tap of an opulent gold cane on the cold ground.

Passersby huddled in heavy coats and walked with an avid drive to get out of the frigid weather. Shuma-Gorath and his agents didn't flinch at slightly abject temperatures. "The problem with humans, my Agent, is their avarice. They care about nothing more than themselves. There are some occasional exceptions, such as the one they call Steve Rogers and other made heroes, but the average human seeks to take whatever avenues necessary to make sure they are happy no matter the misfortune it may cause another. This man you speak of is not unlike the squabbling masses. He will be punished for his wrongs, and become yours all the same. You will introduce him to CHAOS. "

Lalya smiled faintly "It is a weakness in me as well I'm sure you think so... but is not crippling loneliness all the more weak? do you not feel alone with out souls and agents?" she asked hoping that he would understand more the lonilyness then the love that hurt her so much. She walked with him pulling her bag across her and let him lead where he would, she was impressed when he took a human form to walk the streets with her with out drawing unwanted attetion.

she didn't notice the cold. ocassionally when working the human aspects of her mind would remeber cold and she'd be aware of it then as a 'humen' but then her body would know that there was no cold to her.

"Is that my failure? did I not careenough about others in my work that I didn't earn love?" she asked shifting "Ah... mmm It's hard to explaine, I don't... want to force that. it would just be empty,mmmmm.... people make movies, and plays and write stories right? if I made him love me with these gifts you have granted me, it would be no more fullfilling then writing a story where he loved me. it would be empty fantesy." she explained.

"I thank you for being concerned about me, that is a lot more then I have had in a while, as I'm sure you know from my memories. that matters, it helps. I knnow it must seem simple. You have a lot of power, and boundless knowledge... it may seem very silly that I'm satisfyed by something as small as your thoughts' but, that does matter and it means a lot to me." she said with a smile.

Shuma quieted for a moment or few as they walked on, the face on his assumed persona blank, expressionless, a contradiction to its previous, wide smile. Then the smile returned all the same. "Darling... Loneliness is but a fabricated state of mind meant to hinder. You see, while that human male might not have the worth or sense to serve among the admiral ranks of CHAOS's army, it isn't difficult to show others the proper path, to make their impressionable minds acquiesce to the wonders of its power... my loneliness only thrived while I slept. But he who is now awake, is now among the throes of the universe once more, and I am all but alone. As they walked the bustling humans seemed to hardly notice them or their peculiar lack of response to the seemingly arctic conditions, and were only concerned with getting out of it.

"But your humanity hinders you, child. This human male need be let go of, for he isn't worth your worry. Surely the sustenance of gathered souls is a far more enjoyable confection than his so called "love"? You need let go of those emotions Karras. You're an Agent of Shuma-Gorath now, are you not? Your only concerns need lie with me, and your trust in your master and god. Your knowing that I will always take care of you... Always..."

was that true? was lonliness a state of mind when it could hurt so deeply as this? She didn't want mindless soldiers or to lead an army of chaos. she wanted... she wanted someone who would care for her.through the ages... epoch upon epoch, forever, the long breath of exsistance she so desperately wanted that.

The touch ofa comforting hand when she felt sad, the warmth of laughter at a shared joke. Knowledge granted by shuma let her experience these things yes but... it was second hand, it belonged to others, the rush of love holding a newborn child. the shock and delight of a quick unexpected kiss.

she didn't realize it but tears had started falling, quiet tracks down her face as they walked.

"Confection? I do not feast on the souls I gather, I merely send them to you, My body is easily sustained of energy flows and Food, I don't need to destroy an exsistance." she said honestly as they walked, depression seeming to weight even heavier on her she glanced up at him shifting he said that... but could she ask him? he said to trust him but...

"Could I ask something of you?..." she questioned quietly

"I.... m....." she looked down, how did she ask this, but... it hurt.

"If just for a moment... c-could you hold me?" she asked quickly the tears where coming harder now she she wiped at them ineffectually "H-he looked at me with disgust! He don't even believe I'm me anymore he thinks that I'm just a familiar you created in my image..." she said hiccuping

"He said he'd destroy me... he tried to bind me with the power of Cytorak... I tried so hard to stay alive for him and he treated me like a monster." she said voice breaking.

True, she did not herself indulge in a soul's consumption, but Shuma-Gorath himself surely engorged. This amused him that she would remind him of such a thing, but he was quickly halted by the... unprecedented nature of her next request. She wanted him to... hold her... Odd that humans, even those transformed into an immortal form yearned for such affections... but sure enough his arm took her, strong, and comforting. In his human form he was hardly monstrous at all. In fact he was... warm.

Holding her he listened to her cries and let her flush her frustrations. Most of the words slipped by him as he stroked small soothing circles in her back, until something she said caught his attention. Cytorrak. "This human... what do you call him?" Suddenly he was much more intrigued, and all the more inclined to end the life of this pitiful earth walker. Attempting to bind one of his agents? Oh he would pay dearly with the price of his soul...

He seemed almost startled by her request but an arm went around her and she clung, for a moment letting out the pain she;d held in. He stroked her back gently, she was sure her worries probably didn't matter to him at all small as they where in his universe, but that he held her was enough, just that small comfort helped.

"Hmm mm? Did I never say? I'm sorry, Victor, Victor von doom, but He's known largly as Dr. Doom." she said stepping back she wiped her eyes

"T-thank you." she let out a shuddering breath compsing herself she smiled weakly "I feel better. it's amazing how much contact even just a small hug, can make a diffrence." she said sighing